Flooding, wild weather fears, cancels second day of Vanfest

Fears of wild weather along with major flooding of the campsite saw Vanfest cancel its second and final day on Saturday December 2.

The two-day event at Forbes Showground in the NSW Central West made the move in the name of safety for its patrons, the artists and its production crews.

The first night featured Amy Shark, Luke Millions, Cosmos’ Midnight and Discovery, among others.

Saturday was set to see 12 acts perform, with sets byTash Sultana, San Disco, Thundamentals, Dune Rats, Ember, Marj Furze, Dean Lewis, Wilsonn, Pigrms, Tigertown, Marallion and DJ OXall cancelled.

Vanfest founder Matt Clifton quickly provided a free smaller make-up show at his father’s pub in Forbes, The Vandenberg Hotel with five of the acts – Tigertown, Wilsonn, Manalion, Mark Furze and OX.

The idea for the festival (and its name) came after a trial of showcasing Sydney acts at the hotel sold out within days.

According to Vanfest’sFacebookpage leftover balances on wristbands were offered on Saturday night via their online portal.

Ticket and camping refundswill also be available on the Vanfest website from Tuesday December 5.

Shortly after the initial announcement to cancel was made, punters in gumboots and raincoats trudged through heavy mud to their tents to pack up.

In a later post Vanfest added, “The safety of our patrons, artists, and staff is paramount, and our team of Vanfest staff, and local volunteers have pulled together in numbers to ensure the safe exit of all campers from the festival site.”

In an interview with TMNlast week, Clifton spoke of how Vanfest 2017 was panning out to be its biggest yet.

Centred around experiences for patrons, the festival also featured larger camping services and returned popular events as a Bondi Beach bar and eateries, including transporting tonnes of sand, for the VIP section.

Clifton says the 2018 edition will “more than make up” for this year’s disappointment.